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62.

Dialogue and Cooperation:
The Foundation of a General Assembly

OPENING ADDRESS
BY VLADIMIR PETROVSKY
UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS
DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS AT GENEVA
FOR THE FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STUDENTS' LEAGUE
OF NATIONS

14 December 1998

Dear Students,
or should I say, Distinguished Delegates,

I t is a pleasure for me to give the opening address for the Fifth
General Assembly of the Students League of Nations. I would
like to applaud the organizers of this event for their continuing
commitment to strengthening the goals and image of the United Nations
through the education of a young generation of students in the affairs of
international diplomacy.

Geneva is indeed one of the most important centers for international
diplomacy and humanitarianism in the world and is host to the largest number
of international organizations in Europe, including the largest concentration
of UN Agencies and programmes outside of UN Headquarters in NY. This
makes Geneva an ideal place for learning more about how international
organizations function, how their mandates overlap or complement each
other, how negotiations are handled, and how the international community
can work together to take action in countries where action is needed most.

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